


Thank you, Nick.

by VHSesh



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Best Friends, Bullying, Depression, F/M, Implied Relationships, Loneliness, Sad with a Happy Ending, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 12:53:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20815487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VHSesh/pseuds/VHSesh
Summary: Judy Hopp's lifelong dream was always to be apart of the Zootopia Police Department, but does that dream mean anything without her best friend by her side?A short story about depression, loneliness and the difficulty of coping with life in general. Heavily inspired by the song Thank You by Dido, hope you can see the similarities.





	Thank you, Nick.

Judy’s hands were wrapped idly around a warmed porcelain cup she had filled with tea. It was half full now, a sip indicating to her it had already gone cold. She sat at her desk in sick covered pyjamas, half a bottle of vodka remaining open on the windowsill right where she had left it at 1am, just before she collapsed into a heap on her bed and passed out. It was a stupid idea, but at the time it seemed invigorating, a small kick to help her sleep. Judy was never good with remaining in boundaries however and soon enough half of that bottle had slipped down her throat and come right back up a couple hours later, stumbling in the dark for the bathroom. As horrible as she had felt throwing up her insides so early in the morning, she couldn’t help but feel relief from the fact her mind was now distracted away from all her overdue bills and negative work reports, if only for a short while. Now she was awake again and all that anxiety was back with full force, tormenting and belittling her as though little Gideon Grey was now residing inside her head, telling her how worthless of a bunny she really was. She wondered why she had gotten out of bed at all in the first place.

She took an aspirin for her pulsing headache with another sip of cold tea, busy staring out her little window, in her little apartment, in her tiny little world. The skies outside were a harrowing grey, gentle rain splashing against her window causing it to fog. Her apartment was never the most elegant but lately it had become more and more of a chaotic mess. Her police uniform remained unironed and hung daintily off the chair she sat on. Her boots were still covered in mud and sat near the door without reason, the shoelaces still tied. Her room was a grand indication of how Judy was feeling about life; drab, bland and messy. The entire room was nothing but shades of grey with the only source of colour in the room being a hung picture with a quite particular red fox whose shiny white grin could be seen even from the front door. His hand wrapped around the shoulder of a happy looking bunny who Judy could no longer even recognize. It wasn’t her, that smile she no longer seemed to possess.

There were moments where she knew she needed to get her shit together, mainly when she would come home from work and end up stepping on a hairbrush or a dirty plate she had left on the floor some nights ago. Judy couldn’t help but be embarrassed about herself, whatever self-esteem she had left was slowly but surely dying. She was turning into an uncaring, messy slob, words which had never been used before to describe her. She was never known to be the one to just give up either, yet here she was, her mind now always busy coming up with excuses. Why bother folding clothes when Judy could simply throw it into a pile on the floor? Why bother washing dishes if she could just eat off paper plates and takeaway bags? It wasn’t like she had any visitors to judge her anyway, the only person that once came over had moved cities long ago.

* * *

She missed the fucking bus again. She had sat in that chair for much too long daydreaming before she came back to her senses and got ready for work. As soon as she left her apartments main door, she spotted the bus and it’s prominent green and yellow coating driving away, around the corner and never to be seen again. Not until the next bus arrived that is, but the consequences of that bus leaving without her already started the flow of tears from her amethyst eyes. This was the fourth time in two weeks this had occurred, her heart pounding at the thought of Chief Bogo screaming at her once again for her lack of discipline and respect for her work. The rain continued to fall as she curled herself up on the bus stop seat and sobbed, lucky enough it was one of the few stops which had a roof covering. Work had turned into her own personal hell, a dread in her life she had to face every single day. The same tormenting faces, the same ridiculous workloads and the same frightful boss she had to answer to, day in and day out. She despised it, sick of the countless nights she had balled her eyes out in fear of the next day as her nosy neighbours yelled out for her to quit her sulking.

Working for the ZPD was once an incredible dream which slowly over time manifested into the nightmare it was today. She thought she had proven herself worthy of the police force once the night howler incident had been solved, but she learnt the hard way that discrimination, gossip and rumours will continue to take place no matter what you may do. At first it was the snide remarks about Judy and her then partner Nick, whispers of their make belief interspecies relationship and how someone had managed to catch a glimpse of their police cruiser rocking in an alleyway. It was all false of course, Judy could never help the blush in her cheeks and the anger that rose through her heart that people could be so insensitive and rude. She never understood the reasoning behind it all, trying to sabotage a relationship so close and dear to her. Even if sometimes she wished the rumours true late at night as she would cradle that same picture hung on her wall, she knew nothing good could come of it.

And that’s exactly how Nick was diverted to the Podunk Police Department. Chief Bogo had casually described it as a “well suited promotion” even if his pay and job title miraculously remained the same. The news hit Judy like a truck with the realisation that she would have to continue working without him by her side. That’s what made the ZPD so amazing for her, the fact that she could continue living out her dream helping the citizens of Zootopia right alongside that fantastic fox she called her best friend. With his departure to another city 4 hours away, she couldn’t help think of how little her dream truly meant without him in it.

After Nick’s relocation it was obvious to all around Judy that she wasn’t the same. No longer having the spring in her step as she came into work or that bright smile that covered her face as she said good morning. The rumours continued, whispers and statements of a messy breakup between the two and other crazy theories that never truly caught what was real. The only thing that was true to her was that her best friend was now gone, and she was now on her own. No longer could she swiftly spin in her chair and have him right there, waiting for whatever question she might ask. No longer did she have someone to grab coffee with after a long shift and rant to for hours on end. Most important of all she no longer had a charming, handsome fox to stare at whenever work was becoming too stressful, causing her feet to tap anxiously as she admired him from a distance, hoping he would remain oblivious to it all. He was truly what she had needed from the very start and losing him was like losing her passion for it all.

Judy’s days were now filled with monotonous paperwork which never seemed to end. Piles and piles of reports which she could never keep on top of no matter how hard she tried. She wasn’t coping, her downfall a major talking point for the other officers. The gossip never stopped at the ZPD; it was the one thing which kept them sane, make belief drama to set a distraction for the rest of the officers facing their own stress and anxieties. Too bad Judy was the butt of it all, never forgetting the faint whispers of one cow saying “I think Bogo might let her go today, about time I say…”

That’s why her eyes stung with tears and her heart remained a hollow beat in her chest. It was why she was afraid of ever entering that department ever again. Everything was no longer certain or made to be, it was a daily battle to make it to the end with her sanity intact along with an income and bills paid. A battle which she felt herself slipping from, ready for the predator to eat her and leave her for dead. It was a comforting thought to give up, life was just much too tough for how bullshit and unfair it all seemed.

* * *

She was still waiting at the bus stop, the 7:52 bus only minutes away now. Her ears flopped behind her head as she continued to sniffle, ignoring the passer-by’s and the looks she knew they might be making towards her, judgemental and uncaring. Her pocket vibrated as her phone buzzed, a chime playing which was drowned out as the rain continued to fall onto the pavement below her feet and hammer against the roof of the bus shelter. She struggled to get it out of her pockets, the tight-fitting pants she wore leaving little room for her hand to sneak in and grab it. Her other hand began to wipe her eyes, damp from sadness. She finally managed to pull her phone out, greeted with a picture of Nick covering her screen with bright white font displaying “Nick <3 calling…”. She swiped with her finger and raised it to her ear.

“Hey Carrots, thought I’d call just to check up on you…”

The sound of his voice was angelic, it’s smooth and smug tone raising all the hair on her body. It felt amazing to hear him, her ears now perked high, desperate to hear more from him. He babbled on, talking shit about his new boss and how the racoon at reception really liked to eye him up. She laughed, picturing him exactly as she remembered. He was most likely in his police cruiser by now, feet laid up upon the dash and an empty cup of coffee in the cup holder, with his signature shades covering his gorgeous emerald eyes. She missed his presence dearly, but even the sound of his voice was enough to calm her completely.

In the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the familiar green and yellow painted bus approaching. As it stopped in front of her with a loud hiss, she realised that everything suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore. After all, she still had Nick despite everything else in the world, and that was more than enough for her. If he kept calling, she would keep on living, one way or another.

“Thanks for calling Nick… No seriously, Thank you, Nick.”


End file.
